Kiln for regenerating absorbents



Jan. 1, 1952 J. w. PAYNE KILN FOR REGENERATING ABsoRBENTs 4 Sheets-Sheetl Filed May 27, 1949 \mm\&

Jan. 1, 1952 J. W. PAYNE KILN FOR REGENERATING ABSORBENTS 4 Sheets-Sheet2 Filed May 27, 1949 PRl'ESS /52 PUMP ('UNVEYUI? Jan. 1, 1952 J. w.PAYNE KILN FOR REGENERATING ABSORBENTS 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 27,1949 COOLANT INLET GAS DISTRIBUTORS cATALYsT INLET Jan. l, 1952 J. w.PAYNE KIKLN FOR REGENERATING ABSORBENTS 4 sheets-sheet 4 Filed May 27,1949 INVENToR. .lb/m l?? Fay/1f sidered commercially practical.

Patented Jan. 1, 1952- KILN FOR REGENERATING ABSORBENTS John W. Payne,Woodbury, N. J., assignor to Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, Incorporated, a

corporation of New York f Application May 27, 1949, Serial No. 95,713

V2 Claims. (Cl. 23-288) This application is directed to an improvedprocess and apparatus for the continuous contacting of adsorbentpowdered material with oils and refers more particularly to thecontinuous revivication of spent powdered adsorbent material which hasbeen used for treating liquid oils.

An example of the type of process to which the invention appertains isthe contact refining of lubricating oils to remove gum-formingcompounds, color bodies and other objectionable material.

The material generally used as the pulverized or powdered adsorbent isclays such as fullers earth, silica gels., bauxites, bentonite,montmorillonites, activated charcoal, and certain synthetic associationsof silica and alumina to which other materials such as certain metallicoxides may be added. This material should be pulverized to a grain sizewhich will pass through a 100 mesh Tyler screen and preferably withinthe range of about 150-400 mesh size.

In these contact filtration processes, the powdered material becomesfouled by the deposition of carbonaceous material and oily constituentsupon its surface. By the use of solvents such as naphtha, low boilingalcohols and ketones, some of the contaminants can be removed, but theoperation is too costly and ineicient to be con- The usual custom inthis art is to subject the spent adsorbent material to a combination ofsteaming and naphtha Washing to eiiect removal of the oily constituentsfrom the adsorbent, after which the rnaphtha may be distilled oli in arotary drum kiln followed by burning of the contaminants in anothermechanically driven kiln. This procedure has not proved satisfactorybecause of the high heat cost involved in distilling the naphtha fromthe adsorbent particles and because the eiliciency of the adsorbent fortreating oils was to a great extent lost in the burning regeneration.The latter diiiiculty is in large part due to the impossibility ofproviding adequate temperature control of the adsorbent by burningregeneration in rotary drum kilns and similar kilns employedcommercially.

When it is attempted to regenerate this smallparticle adsorbent materialcontinuously in an enclosed vessel supported by uidizing and combustionsupporting gases, these same problems obtain. In addition, where thefluidizing flow is controlled to provide a dense phase region in thelower section of the regeneration vessel, and a light phase regionlocated in the upper section of the vessel, afterburning in the lightphase region.

presents an added problem. This phenomenon of afterburning, wherebylocalized burning in the light phase region occurs, causes permanentdamage to the small-particle adsorbent material, rendering it uselessfor further contact ltering of lubricating oils. This elTect can becontrolled by extracting heat from the light phase region. One method ofcooling the material in the light phase region is by injecting orspraying water or steam into the region. The contact material used incontact filtration processes is usually of such a nature, however, thatcontact with steam at the temperatures of regeneration cause permanentdamage to the contact material, making this method undesirable.

A major object of this invention is the provision of an improved processand apparatus for revivifying linely divided adsorbent contact materialswhich have become spent by use in the contact treatment of liquid oils.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved process andapparatus for continuous contact ltration of oils by providing adequatetemperature control of the regeneration l burning.

A further object of this invention is to prevent afterburning in thelight phase region of the regeneration zone in which fluid-supported,particle-size contact material is being regenerated.

A further object of this invention is the prevention of afterburning inthe light phase region of the regeneration zone in whichfluid-supported, particle-size contact material, susceptible topermanent damage upon contact with steam, is being regenerated.

These and other objects of this invention will be made apparent by thefollowing description read in view of the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a schematic view, highly diagrammatic, of apparatusadapted to continuously revivify spent adsorbent material, fouled fromuse in a contact iiltration process, and;

tric cooling conduits used in the improved regeneration apparatus; and,

Figure 6 is a quarter sectional plan view at plane 3-3 of Figure 3.

In the contact filtration of oils for decolorization, etc., such as thedecoloriztion of petroleum oils, for example, pulverized contactmaterial is admitted to a chamber containing the oil. rIhe mixture isagitated to assure even distribution. The adsorbent particles pick upthe objectionable material from the oil, and the ltered oil can beremoved continuously from the chamber. When the particles of adsorbentbecome fouled to the extent that their ltering efficiency is reducedmaterially, they are removed from the chamber. The fouled contactmaterial is passed through one or more solvent Washing, and lteringsteps, and is then admitted to apparatus shown in Figure 1, describedherebelow.

Referring now to Figure l, contact material from the naphtha filter ispassed through conduit I to the pressure seal conveyer Il. The conveyer,of the Redler type, permits the maintenance of a pressure differentialbetween its entrance and exit and is readily adaptable to this contactltration process, although other suitable conveyers are available.

The contact material is fed through conduit I2 from the conveyer II intothe dryer I3. The dryer I3 may suitably be a vertically mounted vesselof circular cross-section. Steam is admitted to the lower section ofdryer I3, through conduit I4 to maintain the contact material Within thedryer in ebullient motion. The steam may be admitted to the dryer I3through a multiplicity of conduits I4, suitably spaced across the bottomof the vessel to provide more even distribution as shown in Figure 1.`Orice means I5 may be installed in the conduits I4 to increase thevelocity of the steam to provide better mixing in the dryer. The steamhas a dual purpose in that in addition to providing support for thecontact material, it acts as a stripping fluid, removing some of themore volatile materials from the contact material. Of course, the steamadmitted to the dryer I3 through conduits I4 may be suiiiciently hot toimpart at least some of the heat to the contact material to volatilizesome of the heavier loily constituents on the surface thereof. Inaddition, a heating coil I5 is located near the bottom of the dryer I3to provide heat when desired. Steam is admitted through the coil I5 bymeans of the steam conduit I6, the amount being controlled by valve I'I.But the major source of heat in the dryer in this invention is from theheating coils I3 located in the lower section of the dryer. The sourceof heat for the coils I8 will be described in detail hereinafter. Thecoils I8 may be coiled tubes or a bank of conduits, adapted to providesuitable heat transfer. The steam and vapors within the dryer may beremoved from an outlet near the top thereof, and conducted through aconduit I9 to the quench condenser 20.

The quench condenser 20 is a vertically mounted vessel, which may be ofcircular cross section. The condenser 26 contains heat exchanger tubesand may be supplied with coolant fluid through conduit 2 I. The coolantis removed through the conduit 22. The heat exchanger may be ofconventional vertical tube design with top and bottom headers andconsequently is not described in detail. The coolant may suitably beWater. The

'vapors removed from the dryer I8, admitted to the top of the quenchcondenser 29, pass downwardly through the condenser 2li and are cooledby contact with the exchanger tubes. The cooled vapors pass into aseparator 23 located below the quench condenser, and communicatingtherewith. The vapors, converted to liquids by the cooling action of thecondenser, settle in the bottom of the separator, which is constructedof larger cross section than the condenser to permit settling andseparation to occur. The liquid level in the separator 23 may becontrolled by operation of the valves 24 and 25 at a predeterminedlevel, adequate to provide eicient separation. The naphtha, beinglighter than the other material rises to the top and is removed throughconduit 2t. The naphtha may be recycled through conduit 21 controlled byvalve 28 to the top of the quench condenser to permit better separation.The naphtha is sprayed into the top of the condenser 20 through nozzles,distributed across the vessel, to aid in the condensation and separationof the vapors removed from the dryer I3. The naphtha is thereafterremoved to the naphtha filter for reuse through conduit 30, controlledby valve 24. The heavier liquids and solids which pass to the bottom ofthe separator 23 are withdrawn through conduit 3I and returned to thenaphtha lter for further treatment.

The dried contact material is removed from the bottom of the dryerthrough the conduits 32, 32, Vibrators 33, 33 or other suitable meansare installed in the outlet conduits 32, 32 to prevent packing orbridging of the contact material therein. The ilow of material inconduits 32, 32 may be controlled by valves 34, 34, but is normallycontrolled by continuous feeders 35, 5 of the star valve type. Thecontact material is thereafter fed into conduit 36 for transmission tothe regenerator 3l. The contact material in conduit 36 is carried by asuitable lift gas, which may be steam or an inert gas admitted throughconduit 38 controlled by valve 33, The lift gas can also be air admittedto the conduit by the blower' 40 controlled by the valve 4I. Steamcannot be used for certain contact materials, particularly useful incontact filtration processes, because the steam damages the material atthe high temperatures encountered in the regenerator. It is, therefore,in most cases preferable to use gases other than steam in theseprocesses.

The regenerator 3T is a vertically mounted vessel of circular,rectangular or other suitable cross section. The contact materialsupported by the lift gas Vis admitted to the bottom of the regeneratorthrough a multiplicity of conduits 42, 52, located to distribute thematerial equally across the area of the vessel. An alternate orconcomitant supply of combustion supporting gas is provided from blower40 through the conduit 43. The `gas is passed through a suitable airheater 44 and through conduit 45, to another group of entrance conduits46, 46, also equally distributed across the bottom of the regenerator 31to provide improved distribution. The gas flow in this line iscontrolled by valve 4'I.

The now of combustion gas and/or lift gas is controlled to produceebullient motion of the contact material within the regenerator 3l. Andvfurther the flow is controlled to produce hindered settling of thecontact material, producing a relatively dense duid-like medium in thelower section of the vessel and enabling the material to remain in thevessel for the required Contact time for suitable regeneration. Abovethe dense phase region is a light phase or less dense region ture.

' of fluidiz'ed material through which the gasesl and material pass tothe exit from the vessel. Within the regenerator are located heatexchanger tubes suitably located to provide adequate control of theregeneration temperature.`

These tubes pass through the light phase region and are so arranged thatthe cooling fluid passes through this region first. In this manner,sufiicient heat is extracted from the light phase region to preventafterburning. By this means, afterburning in the light phase region iscontrolled without injecting steam or water into this region. Aspreviously indicated, it is not desirable to introduce steam or waterinto this region because the contact material used in this process wouldbe permanently damaged thereby.

Cooling air for the exchanger tubes is admitted to the regenerator 31through conduit 48, by an appropriate blower 49 and removed from theregenerator through the conduit 59. The hot air exhausted from theregenerator heat exchanger through the conduit 53 is admitted to theexchanger I8 in the dryer to provide heat for the drying operation. Theexcess heat generated during the burning of the carbonaceous materialfrom the surface of the contact material, in the regenerator, is thusconveniently supplied to the dryer I8 to produce satisfactory dryingtempera- The air leaving the regenerator heat exchanger may beapproximately 1000 F., and this may be reduced -to approximately 500 F.in the dryer exchanger. The air may then be conducted to the regeneratorfor combustion purposes, being in a suitably preheated condition. Thismay be done by admitting the air through conduits I, and 52 to conduit35, controlled by valve 53. It may be desirable, however, to mix thepreheated air with the lift gas prior to the admission of the contactmaterial thereto. This can be done by passing the air through conduit 54controlled by valve 55. Or it may be more expeditious to convey the gasthrough the conduit 55 to the conduits 46. The flow of preheated air inconduit 55 may be controlled by the valve 51 incorporated therein.Excess preheated air not used in the regeneration may be vented from thesystem through the conduit 53, controlled by the valve 59.

Another vent conduit iliy is provided in the.con

duit 59 to permit the diversion of at least some of the hot air prior toits passage through the i, dryer I8.

This vent is controlled by the valve 6 I If a greater supply of hot airis needed in the I dryer exchanger I8, Without disturbing the heat beingconveyed from the regenerator exchanger to the dryer exchanger. Theseair heaters 49, 64 may be heated by the combustion of any suitable fuelavailable, such as, for example, fuel oil in a conventional manner, notdescribed. The steam is injected to atomize the fuel oil.

Within the regenerator 31 the contact material, maintained in ebullientmotion, is kept within a suitable regeneration temperature rangepermitting rapid regeneration, without damage from overheating. Aportion of the hot regenerated contact material may be withdrawn fromthe regenerator 31 through the eductor 65. The ilow through the eductorE5 may be controlled by the carrier gas admitted to the eductor throughthe y6 conduit 66, controlled by the valve 61. This contact material isconveyed through the conduit 68 by the flow of carrier gas, to the dryerI3. Thus, the hot contact material may be used to transfer heat to thedryer during the starting operation. Flow may be controlled in conduit68 by valve 69.

The major portion of the regenerated contact material is removed fromthe regenerator 31 through the conduit 19, located near the top thereof.The contact material is conducted Vto a separator II in which the gas istaken overhead through conduit 12, and the contact material is removedfrom the bottom through conduit 13 to an accumulator 14.

In the accumulator, a vertically mounted vessel is located a heatvexchanger 15, adapted to cool the contact material. The exchanger 15 issupplied with coolant iluid through conduit V16, and the coolant fluidis removed therefrom through conduit 11. The exchanger may be' ofconventional design, and is not described in detail.

The cooled contact material is removed from the bottom of theaccumulator through the conduit 18 to a storage reservoir 19. Thecontact material is thereafter removed from the reservoir when neededthrough conduit 89 for use in the contact filtration process of removingcolor bodies from lubricating oils.

It is sometimes more expedientto use stea as the coolant uid in theregenerator heat exchanger than air. `This can be accomplished readilyby closing the valve 8| in conduit 48 and opening valve 82, therebyexcluding air and admitting steam. The steam may be generated in asuitable furnace 83, in which steam coils are located. The steam, inturn, may be used inthe dryer exchanger I8, similar to the use of thehot air, to provide the heat fordrying the contact material. The wastesteam can then be admitted to conduit I4 from conduit 54 by opening thevalve 85, and then used in the dryer I3 as the stripping fluid.

Referring now to Figure 2, the sequence of the steps of a completecontact filtration process is shown with each major element indicated inblock diagrammatic form. From` the naphtha filter 96, the contactmaterial is passed to the conveyer I I through the conduit IIJ. From theconveyer II, the material is passed to the dryer I3 through the conduitI2 as previously indicated. The material from the drier I3 is introducedinto conduit 36 through the conduit 32, where it is carried by the liftgas to the bottom of the regenerator 31. As previously described, theoontact material after regeneration is conducted through conduit 10 tothe cyclone separator 1I wherein it separates from the gas and isremoved from the bottom thereof. The contact material is then admittedto the accumulator 14 via the conduit 13 and is removed from the bottomthereof through conduit 18 to a storage reservoir 19. From thisreservoir, the material is taken through conduit 80, conveyor 99, andconduit 9I to the contact filtration process. This entire process,represented by the single block 92, may be a contact filtration processof lubricating oil to remove color bodies from the oil, foundobjectionable for lubricating purposes. The fouled contact material fromthisl process is transferred through conduit 93, conveyer 94, andconduit 95 to the naphtha iilter 96. Y

A small portion of the lines from the dryer i3 are entrained in thevapors leaving the dryer I3 through the conduit I9. They fallito thebottom inaphtha is removed from `the separator 'ofthe separator23,-form'ing.a slurry with the condensed water. lTheislurry is pumped.through lthe conduit 3| to 4the ibottom of the naphtha lter 96. Aspreviously described, the separated 23 through conduit 26 and a portionis recycled to the condenseri20 throughthe conduit 21. The remainder isconducted to the top of the naphtha filter 96 through the conduit 3B.Additional naphtha may be added from tank 91 through the :conduit 98. Asthe drum filter rotates, the nes are removed from the slurry as a cakeon `iiltering medium, .and :the excess .water is 'withdrawn from theiilter 96. The wet cake is washed by thenaphtha and then removed fromthe filter 96 through conduit ID, conveyer II,

vand cond-uit I 2 to the dryer I3.

Certain dilculties arise in connection with the disengagement of the gasfrom the solid contact materialfafter the removal from the regenerator`Oneway of overcoming these difficulties is shown on Figure 1. Arestriction 99 is placed in the outlet gas conduit of the'separator 1|uilicient to force a small quantity of gas down vthrough conduit 13 toiiush this conduit of piled 'contact material.

The :gas .escapes from the accumulator through the conduit Ico,controlled bydamper I DI located therein. The gases pass to a secondcyclone separator |82. The gases pass overhead through the conduit |03,and the contact material is removed from the bottomthereof to a nes pot.ySteam or other inert gas vis admitted to the bottom ofthe rinespotlii?.

to pick up the contact fines and carry them through .the conduit to theaccumulator 14.

A`low iiow of vaerating gas is admitted to the .bottom :of theaccumulator through conduit ofthe tube |09 andithe upper interior of theaccumulator. The tube aids in directing the contact material to thedense bed in the lowerportion of the accumulator to prevent loss of saidcontact material.

Referring now to Figure 3, the interior of the regenerator 31 is shown,illustrating the interior construction in greater detail. The outershell |I0 of the regenerator 31 has an inner layer of insulation IIIwhich covers the interior surface of the vessel. The inlet conduits 42pass upwardly through the bottom of the shell II i) and insulation I`|I. The outlets of these conduits are substantially equally distributedacross the bottom interior of the regenerator 31. rl'his `providesequalized distribution of the contact material and gases to prevent theproduction of dense streams through the vessel. And further thisapparatus provides better mixing, particularly :atxthe bottom ofthevesseL-thereby providing a more uniform temperature control of theregenerating contact material, and more complete regeneration in thelower section of the vessel. The combustion supporting gas is admittedto the vessel through conduit-45 and individual convof cooling fluidduits 46, having Aoutlets near v:the bottomzof the regenerator andAsubstantially equally Idistributed across the bottom interiorof theregenerator 31. The outlets have caps ||2 located over the outlets sodisposed to permit the combustion supporting gas to flow therefrom insuch a waythat the gas is dispersed and mixed with the othergas andcontact material near the bottom of the regenerator 31.

Near the top of the interior of the regenerator is located a horizontalplate I I3 forming a partition -in the vessel. Asecond horizontal plateI I4, similar to the first, is located a spaced distance below the iirstplate I I3. A multiplicity of tubes I|5 depend from the first plate ||3at locations equally distributed'across the cross section of the vessel,and larger diameter tubes I IB, surrounding the major portion of thesetubes depend from the second platel II4. The outer tubes ||6 are sealedat the bottom,

As previously described, the cooling uid is admitted to theregenerator31 through the conduit 48 to the space in the vessel formedby the two plates. The i'iuid then is transmitted downwardly through thespace-between the inner and outer tubes to the'bottom of the innertubes. The then heated 'fluids pass through the open end of the innertubes I I5 upwardly to the space within the vessel above the first plate|I3 and from the vessel through the conduit 50.

The construction of the depending tubes is shown more clearly on Figure5. The inner tube isformed by two concentric tubes of equal length. Thespace between these tubes |20, ||5 may be filled with insulatingmaterialand sealed at both ends. A small annular space is providedbetween the tubes IIS, IIS to permit the downward ow in substantiallystreamlined flow. The outer tube ||6 extends to a location just abovethe bottom of the regenerator, and it is closed at the bottom by thedisc I2 I. A plug |22 in the disc |2| is removable for inspection andcleaning of the tubes. The uid passes upwardly through the innermosttube |20. The insulation material between the tubes I2, |50 serves tokeep the mean temperature differential between the cooling fluidlpassing downwardly between the' tubes II5, IIB and interior of theregeneration vessel at a maximum value, thereby providing a more uniformtemperature within the vessel, and further providing a more sensitivecontrol of that temperature. The insulation material above the upperplate I|3 and below the lower plate I I4 is installed to serve the samepurpose. And by keeping the mean temperature difierential high, in thelight phase region particularly, afterburning is avoided. The guide lugs|23, being three or more in number, are located around the innerperiphery of the outermost tube ||6 to maintain the inner tubesconcentrically aligned, thereby providing equal distribution of thecooling fluid in the space between the tubes ||5, IIB.

Figure 4 shows the lower end of the depending tubes IIB. The detail ofthe caps |I2 located over the pipes is sectioned for clarity. The bolts|24 are welded to the pipes 46, and the distance of the cap I I2 abovethe outlet of the pipe can be adjusted by adjusting the nuts |25, toobtain the desired flow from the conduits and turbulence within theregenerator 31. The guide members |26, attached to the cap I|2, aredesigned to position the lower ends of the depending tubes IIS. Similarguide members |21, attached to thebottom of the regenerator 31, are

located below those tubes I6 which do not have inlet conduits 46positioned therebelow.

The insulating material |28, which may be insulating concrete, serves asa bottom of the interior of the vessel 31. Surrounding the Ainletconduits 46, above the insulating material |28, are located protectingplates |29. Thecatalyst supported by lift gas is admitted to the vessel31 through conduits 42 into the space between the tubes H6. By admittingonly air through the conduits 46, erosion of the metal is avoided, andfurther considerable catalyst attrition is also avoided. If the catalystwere admitted below tubes ||6,` erosion of the bottoms of these tubeswould result, necessitating frequent repair. By properly adjusting thepreviously described caps H2, the air can be made to deect laterally inthe vessel, passing downto the protecting plates |29, and then mixingwith the catalyst issuing from the conduits 42. This results in greatlyimproved mixing of the catalyst and air at the bottom of the vessel,which provides vastly improved control of the regeneration of thecatalyst, permitting rapid revivcation without damage to the catalyst.In addition, the revivifcation -is completed in the dense phase regionin the lower section of the regenerator 31. yWhen the contact materialand gases pass through the light phase region in the upper section ofthe vessel, therefore, there is materially less possibility ofafterburning occuring. The caps H2, further, prevent the contactmaterial from being projected against the bottom of the tubes withconsequent erosion of metal and attrition of contact material. Theprotecting plates |29, previously described, serve a similar purpose inpreventing erosion of the insulating concrete base of the vessel.

Figure 6 is a quarter section of Figure 3 through the plane 3 3, showingin detail the bottom of the reaction vessel 31. vThe arrangement of theprotecting plates |29, inlet conduits 46, and catalyst inlet conduits 42is shown. The protecting plates |29 are notched at certain locations asshown, to permit triangular plates |36 to be installed to connect theguide members |21 in order to strengthen the guide structure. The guide.members |21 are welded to the corners of the triangular plates |30.These plates |30 are also shown on Figure 4.

The invention as described above is not intended to be limited therebybut only by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for continuously regenerating adsorbent contact material ofsmall particle size which has become deactivated by liquid phase contactwith an oil in a treating process followed by solvent stripping of oilyconstituents and drying of stripped material comprising: a verticalvessel, a first horizontal plate within said vessel located near thetop, a second horizontal plate located a spaced distance below said rstplate, a multiplicity of tubes depending fromV said plates arranged inconcentric groups equally distributed across the cross-section of thevessel, each group comprising an inner tube depending from said rstplate and an outer tube depending from said second plate, said outertube extending below said inner tube and being sealed at the bottom,said tubes extending to a location near the bottom of said vessel, inletconduit means located in the side wall of said vessel between the rstand second plates, outlet conduit means located in the wall or" saidvessel above said ilrst plate, a second outlet conduit means located inthe wall of said vessel spaced below said second plate, a multiplicityof inlet conduits distributed across the bottom of said vessel adaptedto introduce suspended catalyst into the vessel in a vertical directionin the space between said Vertical tube groups, a second multiplicity ofinlet conduits distributed across the bottom of said vessel throughwhich gases may be introduced into said vessel in a vertical direction,caps located a spaced distance above said second multiplicity ci inletconduits adapted to deflect said gases in a laterally downwarddirection, protection plates located around said second multiplicity ofinlet conduits adapted to redeect the gases in a laterally upwarddirection, whereby said gases and suspended catalyst are more intimatelymixed in the lower section of said vessel.

2. In combination in a vertical vessel, a first inlet conduit projectedthrough the bottom of said vessel in a vertical direction for theintroduction of luid supported particle-form material, a second inletconduit projected through the bottom of said vessel in a verticaldirection for the introduction of fluids into said vessel, a protectingplate surrounding said conduits located on the bottom interior of saidvessel, vertical rods attached to the end of said second inlet conduit,said rods projected upwardly and threaded at their upper ends, a cappositioned by said rods over the outlet of said second inlet conduit,said cap adapted to be moved vertically on said rods to adjust thedirection of flow of said nuids admitted through said second vinletconduit to a desired lateral direction whereby said fluids can beintimately mixed with said fluid supported particle-form materials inthe bottom portion of said vessel.

JOHN W. PAYNE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the lile ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,367,351 Hemminger Jan. 16, 19452,386,491 McOmil Oct. 9, 1945 2,394,651 Alther Feb. 12, 1946 2,406,555Martin Aug. 27, 1946 2,433,798 Voorhees Dec. 30, 1947 2,436,486Scheineman Feb. 24, 1948 2,453,740 Becker Nov. 16, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 122,563 Great Britain Jan. 30. 1919

